Concurrent Afternoon Sessions

Note: Afternoon sessions are taught as one continuous workshop. We recommend choosing one afternoon session and staying for the entire presentation.

Wednesday, November 12 | Thursday, November 13 | Friday, November 14

Wednesday, November 12

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Break from 2:45 - 3:00 pm)
Concurrent Session
Dr. Cardwell Nuckols, Ph.D.
"From Discovery to Recovery: Neuroscience, Spirituality and 12 Step Facilitated Recovery"
Continuation of Morning Plenary

In order to understand addictive disorders, those who suffer from addictions and professionals working in prevention and intervention need to understand not only the science but the spiritual nature of addiction and recovery. Without this knowledge, attempts to prevent and treat these disorders will not be successful.
This event is an advanced skills-training that integrates 12-step principles of recovery using non-linear physics, various spiritual teachings (Buddhism, Christianity, etc.), neuroscience and psychology. The result is a personal and professional experience that allows those in attendance to enhance their personal “healing” art. The goal is always…to be of service to others in their personal time of need.

Upon completion of this training participants will be able to:

1. Describe the treatment of such states as “hopelessness”, “fear” and “guilt” from the perspectives of Eastern philosophy and Western psychology.
2. Describe the EGO and the concepts of Pride and Desire from both a Western psychological and Eastern philosophical perspective
3. Describe how the “spiritual tools” surrender, acceptance, humility, forgiveness and love allow for the transcendence of the EGO (Eastern perspective).
4. Understand the implications of the term “Growing up in AA”.
5. Learn specific interventions from both Western psychology and Eastern philosophy (there are some problems in recovery that require spiritual solutions) relevant to the treatment of addictive disorders.
6. Understand the journey from the small self to the BIG SELF.
7. More fully describe addiction and recovery as an integration of spiritual, physiological, psychological, behavioral and social phenomenon.

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Break from 2:45 - 3:00 pm)
Concurrent Session
Dr. Marc Schuckit, M.D.
"Comorbidities Between Substance Use Disorders, Anxiety, and Depression."

Forty percent or more of alcohol and drug-dependent people demonstrate signs of significant depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric symptoms. A large proportion of these are temporary, substance-induced psychiatric syndromes that improve and subsequently disappear following abstinence, but several conditions (including the antisocial personality disorder, schizophrenia, and manic depressive disease) are associated with increased risks for substance use disorders overall. This Workshop will review these relationships, with an emphasis on implications for prevention and treatment.

Learning Objectives:

Understanding more about the relationship between substance use disorders and psychiatric conditions; learning more about how to ease out substance-induced conditions as compared to independent psychiatric disorders; understanding more about how to incorporate these data into prevention approaches.

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Break from 2:45 - 3:00 pm)
Concurrent Session
Dr. Penny Ziegler, M.D.
"Workshop on Safe Management of Pain in Persons Recovering from Addiction"

This Workshop will review some of the basic concepts about how prescription opioids put a person’s recovery at risk. It will examine the differences between acute pain and chronic pain, and will outline strategies for safe management of both acute and chronic pain in recovering addicts. Case studies will be used to stimulate discussion of four different scenarios, including management of acute severe pain in an abstinent addict; management of a chronic pain condition in a person abstinent from intoxicants; management of acute pain in an addict on maintenance opioid medication (methadone or buprenorphine); and approaches to chronic pain management in a patient on maintenance opioid medication.

Educational Objectives: Persons attending this workshop will be able to:

• Provide three common patterns of relapse in recovering addicts who are treated with prescription opioids for pain;
• Explain why use of opioids is generally not recommended for persons in recovery who develop chronic pain syndromes;
• Describe two alterations of the treatment plan that may be useful in treating chronic pain in a person on agonist therapy for opioid dependence.

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Break from 2:30 - 2:45 pm)
Concurrent Session
Dr. Joe Solanto, Ph.D.
"Trauma and Addictions in Youth"
Youth-focused session

Clinicians working with youth who abuse substances do not need to be convinced that more and more of their clients are presenting with known or undisclosed trauma histories. This workshop will examine relevant theories from the field of trauma psychology that may shed additional light on the mechanisms of substance use for trauma survivours, and the two-way relationship between trauma and addictions. A look at the brain structures involved in both trauma and substance use will make these relationships more clear. We will look at the implications for assessment where concurrent disorders are present, and finally at “best practice” guidelines for effective treatment. Participants will be given easy to use “templates” and diagrams for use when attempting to educate youth and their caregivers about the links between trauma and addictions.

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Thursday, November 13

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Break from 2:45 - 3:00 pm)
Concurrent Session
Dr. Dennis Daley, Ph.D.
"Reducing Relapse Risk: Clinical and Systems Strategies for Substance Use and Dual Disorders"

Relapse and recurrence are common among individuals with substance use, psychiatric or co-occurring disorders.  This workshop will review clinical and systems strategies that focus on reducing relapse risk and improving outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

1. Define lapse and relapse with substance use disorders.
2. Define relapse and recurrence with psychiatric disorders
3. Identify factors contributing to relapse of these disorders.
4. Identify the impact of relapse on clients and families.
5. Describe systems and clinical strategies that can incorporated into treatment for substance
    use or co-occurring disorders aimed at reducing relapse risk.

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Break from 2:45 - 3:00 pm)
Concurrent Session
Dr. John Preston, Ph.D.
"Psychopharmacology Update for Experienced Mental Health Professionals"

Review of new developments in psychopharmacology including new and experimental treatments for depression, PTSD, and autistic spectrum disorders. Also addressed: controversies; e.g. antidepressants and suicidality in youth.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explore new medical treatments for psychiatric disorders
2. Appreciate the limits of drug treatments for psychiatric conditions

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Break from 2:45 - 3:00 pm)
Concurrent Session
Bill O'Hanlon, M.S.
"Resolving Trauma Without Drama"

This workshop will detail a philosophy and methods of working briefly and effectively with people who have been traumatized. An array of new methods have shown that previous conceptions and methods of working with trauma are unnecessarily long-term and re-traumatizing. These approaches, rather than being based on the past and deterministic models, are oriented towards the present and future and a sense of possibilities. Through lecture, videotaped examples and handouts, participants will be equipped with new tools and ideas to work briefly, effectively and respectfully with even severe and long-standing traumas.

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Break from 2:45 - 3:00 pm)
Concurrent Session
Wedlidi Speck
"Culture And Treatment For Youth"
Youth-focused session

The workshop will examine the cultural landscape of aboriginal youth. This will include a look at cultural construction, discourse and metaphor. In modern times the aboriginal community is comprised of traditional, assimilated, bi-cultural and de-cultured youth. The application of services to the aboriginal client will vary and will need appropriate strategies when treating these youth.

Three case examples will be presented with helpful strategies, including assessment tools and materials.

The workshop participant will leave the workshop with a clear understanding of cultural diversity model, use of cultural assessment tool, and strategies that match the cultural profile of the youth.

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Friday, November 14

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Break from 2:45 - 3:00 pm)
Concurrent Session
Dr. Allen Berger, Ph.D.
"Family and Group Therapy in Addictions Treatment: Special Focus on Emotional Sobriety"

This workshop is focused on providing participants with a theoretical framework to understand emotional sobriety and how to work with this issue in group therapy, family therapy or couples therapy.

Recovery involves three stages: getting clean and sober, staying clean and sober, and living clean and sober. The quality of recovery has to do with a person’s level of emotional sobriety.
The concept of emotional sobriety was first discussed by Bill Wilson in 1958 but as Dr. Berger will demonstrate, the issue has also been discussed in other ways by many famous psychotherapists like Fritz Perls, M.D., Karen Horney, M.D., Virginia Satir and Murray Bowen, M.D.

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Break from 2:45 - 3:00 pm)
Concurrent Session
Dr. Andrea Barthwell, M.D.
"Rational Drug Policy: Is Harm Reduction Harm Maintenance?"

Dr. Barthwell will set the stage for an interactive discussion of Harm Reduction in the context of strategic drug policy.  She will describe the basis of international drug conventions, explore the politics of policymaking, describe the difference between public policy analysis and program performance analysis, describe a balanced approach to drug policy, and propose a basis for evaluating proposed policy approaches.  Facilitated discussion on clean needle availability, sterile injection sites, increased availability of marijuana, heroin maintenance, methadone maintenance, smokeless tobacco, safe driving practices, and abuse deterrent formulations of dependence producing medicines will occur.

 Learning Objectives:

1. Explain the genesis of international drug control conventions
2. Define public policy
3. Describe two (2) goals of public policy
4. Compare the goals of harm reduction to the goals of prohibition
5. Discuss two (2) intended and two (2) unintended consequences of prohibition of illicit     substances
6. Discuss two (2) intended and two (2) unintended consequences of harm reduction
7. Define an approach to review of the literature of reports of success for one (1) harm     reduction approach to drug use
8. Explain how to use science as a basis for public policy formulation
9. Form and express an opinion on a range of proposals which may include:

     Heroin maintenance
     Needle availability
     Smokeless tobacco
     Vaporized marijuana for medicine
     Fines or tickets for public consumption of marijuana

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Break from 2:45 - 3:00 pm)
Concurrent Session
Dr. Gregory Boothroyd, Ph.D.
"The Inception and Maintenance of Self-Defeating Behaviors"

The afternoon session reveals both how and why such life-affirming needs of joy, purpose and serenity get abandoned from the soil banks of our lives and replaced with any number of self-defeating behaviors.  The third and final session provides 12 clear, concise and practical clinical techniques to assist in the replacement of self-defeating behaviors with more life-generating behaviors and attitudes.

Learning Objectives:

1.  Participants will assess the specific nature of self-defeating behaviors.
2.  Participants will identify HOW self-defeating behaviors originate.
3.  Participants will identify WHY self-defeating behaviors originate.
4.  Participants will identify self-defeating behavior flashpoints.
5.  Participants will differentiate how self-defeating behaviors get implemented.
6.  Participants will compare how and why self-defeating behaviors are maintained and      perpetuated.

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Break from 2:45 - 3:00 pm)
Concurrent Session
Dr. Graeme Cunningham, M.D.
"Treatment of Substance Dependent Men & Women: From Detox Through Long-Term Abstinent Recovery. Tips and Traps, Pearls and Pitfalls"

1:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Break from 2:45 - 3:00 pm)
Concurrent Session
Dr. Ross Laird, Ph.D.
"Creative Interventions with Substance Abusing Youth"
Youth-focused workshop

Learning Objectives:

1. To understand and apply a creative perspective to social services work.
2. To understand the reasons behind the limitations of traditional counselling
    approaches for adolescent substance users.
3. To learn a set of basic creative strategies for facilitating healing activities with
    adolescents.
4. To understand the crucial role of mentorship for youth.
5. To understand that mentoring is a complex and highly demanding skill.
6. To develop mentoring skills, especially in relation to using creative and
    active approaches with adolescent substance users.
7. To understand that addiction is as much a problem of the nervous system as it
    is of personal psychology.
8. To understand the diverse ways in which various substances act upon the
    nervous system of adolescents.
9.To learn ways of designing creative and healing activities for users of
    specific substances.

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About the WCCAMH

The Speakers

Keynote Sessions

Concurrent Sessions

Schedule

Registration & Fees

Sponsors & Exhibitors

Sponsorship Information